After earning the tag of being an unsafe city for women, Gurgaon is once again in the news for all the wrong reasons. Leena Dhankar reports.

After earning the tag of being an unsafe city for women, Gurgaon is once again in the news for all the wrong reasons.

In a shocking incident, a Class 10 student was allegedly kidnapped from outside his school while he was waiting for his neighbourhood car pool to fetch him on Saturday afternoon. A resident of DLF City (Phase-3), 16-year-old Arun Kumar was allegedly sodomised by four accused in a moving car for two hours, after which he was dumped in a secluded spot.

The latest spine-chilling crime raises serious questions on security of children in the city. Several working couples in the Millennium City are now a worried lot as their children stay alone for long hours and often travel back from school on their own.

Lack of police presence or security guards outside schools is also a matter of concern for parents. There has been a rise in Gurgaon’s crime graph with several incidents of minor rape, sexual assault and sodomy being registered.

Kumar’s mother told Hindustan Times, “When Arun did not return home after school, we got worried and approached the school authorities. Arun is a shy boy and never goes anywhere without informing us.”

She added, “CCTV footage was procured from the school and he was seen sitting in class till 1.50pm but no one saw him after that. There was so much rush outside the school but still no one noticed my son being driven away in an unknown vehicle.”

Shyam Lal, the father of victim, claimed, “We called the police control room at 2.30pm and my sister-in-law informed me around 4.45pm that Arun had reached her house. He was in a bad condition and weeping. Arun had walked a distance of 4km to reach his aunt’s house in old DLF colony. The medical examination was conducted around 8.45 pm and till that time, my son was not even given first aid.”

Neha Singh, the victim’s aunt, said, “He was not in a condition to walk and was in extreme pain. I called his mother and informed them. He narrated his horrifying ordeal and I was shocked.” The boy is in hospital, SHO Inspector Naresh Kumar refused to comment.